Explaining the complexities of life through Chemistry

Often, when we hear about chemistry, our mind tends to wander to formulas and molecules. Whether you love the subject or not, can you forget those sleepless nights studying the formulas over and over again. But for a subject that taught us that water was made by the reaction of oxygen and hydrogen, can it possibly give us an insight on life?

How can all those formulas and reactions ever let us know more about our own existence?

Well, ‘Why Happens, What Happens… It’s Chemistry, in Life’s Laboratory’, elucidates why life and chemistry are more related that any of us would like to admit.

One of the most fascinating things about this book is the way the author, Sushmita, relates chemistry with life through various analogies and metaphors.

Readers don’t have to have a degree in chemistry to understand this book.

You can find examples of your daily lives beautifully related to the theories of chemistry.

You will not only learn how alike both the subjects are but will be amazed at the sheer bond nature has with chemistry.

As a matter of fact, there’s a chapter dedicated to that very topic in the book.

Reactions – we all know that the very basis of chemistry lies on reactions. Different elements, that may or may not have anything in common, react together to form an entirely different element although.

And there are about innumerable reactions out there.

In this book, however, the author describes reactions as responses to actions.

A carefully crafted analogy is drawn between our actions and the consequences that come with it to the reactions that we study in Chemistry.

Like reactions are irreversible, we can’t possibly go back to the past and alter our actions only to have different results.

Well, reactions are just one part of the vast scope of Chemistry.

We have also heard about bonds that elements make with each other to form a compound element. Well, that has too been compared with the bonds of friendship or love that we make in our lifetimes.

These are just snippets of the real treat that is the entire book.

This book provides an extraordinary account of how chemistry is related to life in more ways than we can fathom.

Author – Sushmita – spins you an intricate yarn that intertwines Chemistry with life.

If you are up for a little soul searching in your free time while also learning about Chemistry, then you have stumbled upon the right book.

I am sure that after reading this book, even the ones who wrinkle their noses at the thought of studying Chemistry, would also fall in love with the subject.

Book Review of The Bestseller by Nidra Naik in IBNS (India Blooms News Service)

An anthology of short stories, named “The Bestseller” by Nidra Naik is what I have been hooked to for the last few days. The collection contains six short stories.

The stories are based on different subjects but the best part is that the art of storytelling would keep you hooked till the end—sometimes making you shed a few tears of empathy and sometimes making you feel nostalgic.

The story that impressed me the most is A Lot Like Love.

Here is a woman who has made herself capable enough to get a job in her dreamland—USA—at a time when the entire nation is under the grip of recession. People are being laid off for no apparent reason but the protagonist is talented enough to bag a lucrative job in this atmosphere. Of course she is overjoyed and wants to fly out and start living her dream.

But there’s a man in her country who needs her in his life, a man who loves her like crazy, and who doesn’t believe in long distance relationships.

And the catch is she loves him too.

She loves both—the man and her dream.

So what should the woman do?

This is a bittersweet love story that speaks of a love that cannot be erased by distance and time.

Time, society, practical needs—life moves on, man moves on.

But once your heart learns to love someone truly, it stays static, unmoving, stationary. And, then life becomes this strange tussle between the moving and the unmoving.

In such a situation what if the past comes revisiting?

Naik has penned a beautiful and haunting tale of two estranged lovers that enhances the value of this anthology.

The second story in the book is about a girl who has a very simple dream—that of owning a king-size bed like the one that her beloved, late grandmother had when she was little.

I must confess that there the premise of the story is nothing grand or path-breaking. But there is this subtlety in the story that got to me.

Life is not all about big plans and big dreams.

There are so many small things, so many small emotions that linger in our deepest conscience.

In our daily lives, when we are so busy in attending to the bigger needs of survival, these small, unsaid emotions can get easily neglected.

This story, though very simple in its treatment, made me connect to some of those small thoughts inside me—and maybe these small things—and not the big ones—are what make us individual beings, make us different from one another.

The other story that I would absolutely have to talk about is the Black Idol.

A successful, young doctor leaves behind his high flying career in a renowned city hospital and moves to a small village to justify the call of his heart—that is the premise of this story.

This story has so much to teach us.

Yes, it is not wrong to dream of a bright career, to dream of a luxurious and comfortable lifestyle.

But as a human being our responsibility doesn’t end with ourselves and our family.

As a citizen we are equally responsible to the nation where we are born. As a human being, we must feel equally responsible towards our fellow citizens.

This story is definitely able to inspire readers to think beyond their own circle of comfort and that is a commendable achievement for any writer.

All in all, this anthology is definitely a must read in these lazy summer afternoons.

The book is priced at Rs 399. It is also available at Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, power-publishers.com, infibeam, readwhere, ebay and paytm.

Book Review of Gita for professionals by Anil Bhalla in IBNS (India Blooms News Service)

Gita for Professionals, a self-help style book written by Dr Anil Bhalla and published by Power Publishers, is a book that caught my attention recently.

In this book the author tries to explain the concepts of Bhagwat Gita in a very simplified way.

The author expects his explanations to be assimilated by professionals, young and old, in their everyday lives.

As a young woman who is just embarking on her career, who is learning the ropes of her trade, I find this subject and its treatment fascinating.

Gita has all the ingredients for becoming the guide for any human being.

But what with our rigorous schedules it isn’t always possible to go through that tome on a regular basis.

So I feel a ready-reckoner like this is just the need of the hour for people like us.

In each chapter of the Gita, Sri Krishna has elaborated on specific topics.

Dr Bhalla too has adopted this approach in the book.

I found the discussion on Karma Yoga to be very emphatic and timely.

Sri Krishna says it is our duty to execute our responsibilities without getting too attached to smaller goals. We should set our sight on the bigger picture, on our ultimate aim and work steadily towards it, without getting too affected by either smaller achievements or smaller deterrents.

I feel this concept is applicable for all stages of life, and not just for one’s career.

Another point that the author has highlighted in the book is the importance of health.

People can get so involved with their work, their responsibilities that they often tend to overlook their own physical well being but as the author has rightly pointed out, our bodies are the drivers of our souls.

If we don’t have a fit body, how can we enjoy the fruits of our hard work?

Another lesson that is worth remembering is the importance of paying heed to our inner voice.

Our inner voice is the representative of our values and our morals. When some external factors start to contradict our values, that is when the conflict comes into play.

But as Sri Krishna told Arjuna, all individuals come to the earth with a specific role, with a specific responsibility.

During conflicting situations, we should keep that role in mind and then listen to what our values tell us.

Giving an outlet to our inner voice is the secret to success as an individual; it is the way to contentment and satisfaction.

The other lesson that I would like to keep in mind is that little knowledge leads to arrogance and arrogance leads to mistakes.

So it is important to amass as much knowledge as possible and then use that knowledge for the betterment of the society as a whole.

As our lives get overtaken by our work, we tend to lose sight of who we really are as individuals.

And I feel a book like this can guide us back to our original selves and help us become better versions of ourselves.

Book Review of Draupadi by Ishita Sen in IBNS (India Blooms News Service)

The Gamut of Human Emotions Never Change, from Mahabharata to Modern Times

s the epic Mahabharata still relevant in our lives today? Yes, says author Ishita Sen in her book, ‘Draupadi- A saga of love, life and destiny’.

As soon as I finished reading the prologue I was hooked.

Here is an author who is claiming that the Mahabharata is relevant and applicable in today’s time, in our modern lives.

The female protagonist in this story, Joyita has an unconventional, harrowing start in life.

And what doesn’t kill us make us stronger, they say.

Life turns Joyita into a strong woman who lives according to her own terms. She is uncompromising, unyielding, and utterly competent. And she chooses a man who can match up to her wits, her expectations.

Param Vikram Singh is a man who can rule his world with his brains, his intelligence, his compassion, and his heart—a true ruler of his people. Their relationship is such that they help each other shine. They complete each other.

But it cannot be denied that a person’s social standing shapes his views—however slightly.

And, Param’s royal lineage, his upbringing, his social stature make him falter at the most crucial juncture of his life.

One misstep is all it takes to mangle what could have been the most fulfilling of love stories.

Unrequited love has the power to destroy entire kingdoms and the Vikram Singhs fall prey to this gravest of maladies.

Joyita and Param go their separate ways only to be entangled together by destiny in such a way that neither can they love each other nor can they forget each other.

And all the other characters that are interwoven into the lives of Param and Joyita somehow get deeply affected by their strangest of equations.

The brilliance of this story likes in the fact that none of the characters have been shown to be flawless.

But in spite of that, they understand each other. There’s friendship between husbands and wives, there is acceptance.

In this society which is becoming increasingly volatile, such understanding, such acceptance, such tolerance is the need of the hour and Joyita, Param, Rishi, Siona and Himika just show us that through their journey.

Now coming to that part of the story, which is easily the most standout feature of this novel — the various situations in the lives of the protagonists have been compared to incidents from the Mahabharata.

Maybe, I should say the emotions have been compared, not the incidents.

We get to see and feel Draupadi’s plight, Arjuna’s misery, Bhima’s dedication through a new prism.

Once a reader goes through the entire narrative he or she will be bound to agree with the author.

Yes, human emotions never change with the ages. Love, lust, friendship, misery, repentance, valour, regret—all of that and much more, together make us humans.

As an avid reader, I would not hesitate to say that here is an author who has dared to see an epic in her own way and has rendered her perspective through a beautifully woven narrative.

The story, the characters, the situations are complex—just like life. All the characters that Ishita Sen has brought alive through her words can be loved, hated, respected, pitied, but they cannot be ignored—just like the book.